Nut tapping machine



Jan. 12, 1937. H. GQLDBERG l NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1933 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 12, 1937. H. GoLDBl-:RG

4 NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1955 9 ShetS-Sheet 2 M i gi Jan. 12, 1937. H, GOLDBERG 2,067,267

NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1933 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 I" //l//l/l/l/l/,L'//A V//l/ llllllllllllllllllllllUlm-lZA o o f l lll gr/razz G/oc/er Jan. 12, A1937.

H, GOLDBERG NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1933 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 aan. 12, 1937.

H. GoLpBERG 2,067,267

NUT TAPPING MACHINE v Filed May 29, 1933 l 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 W 2/2 ,2/0

i Jan. l2, 1937; H GOLDBERG 2,067,267

NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1933 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Jan. 12, 1937; H GOLDBERG 2,067,267

NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1933 9 Sheets-Sheet '7 'Wfys Jan. l12, 1937. H, GOLDBERG 2,067,267

i NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1953 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Jan. 12, 1937.' H, GOLDBERG 2,067.267

NUT TAPPING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1955 s sheets-sheet 9 Patented lJan. 12, 1937 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '2,067,261 NUT TAPPING MACHINE Herman Goldberg, chicago, nl.

Application May 29, 1933, serial N0. 613,333

18 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in nut tapping machines and its purpos is to provide an improved machine for tapping nut blanks more speedily and economically, and with a greater degree of accuracy, than has heretofore been possible. Exceptin the operation of forming threads in nuts of large size, where a consider- `\able number of lnuts are tapped successively and threaded onto a tap having a long shank, the commercial practice of tapping nuts has heretofore been carried on chiey, if' not entirely, in machines employing so-called bent shank taps which permit the nuts to be tapped successively and progressively moved over the bent shank of the tap until they are discharged from the free end of the shank, thus making it unnecessary to effect a relative reversal of the direction of movement of the nuts and the tap during the tapping operation. When tapping nuts with a tap having a long straight shank, as in the practice of tapping large nuts, it is necessary to shut down the machine when the shank of the tap is completely occupied with nuts which must then be re-l moved, and when tapping nut blanks with a machine employing a bent shank tap, one of the most objectionable features is the impossibility of forming threads having a high degree of accuracy owing to the fact that the bent shank must necessarily be directly supported by the possible to mount the tap with sufficient rigidity.

Under the classification prepared by the United States Bureau of Standards, nuts are'classied as class 1, class 2, class 3 or class 4, according to the degree of accuracy with which the threads are formed therein, the nuts of the highest class being those having the most accurately formed threads. for nuts having the highest degree of accuracy and there was no great difficulty in forming nuts of the class 1 or class 2 accuracy by the use of a tapping tool having a bent shank but there has more recently developed a great demand for nuts having the class 3 or class degrees of accuracy, particularly for use in the construction of airplanes, automobile engines and other machines or devices subject to vibration and requiring the highest possible degree of accuracy in construction. There has Vbeen no commercial method of supplying this demand satisfactorily; in order to form nuts of the class 3 accuracy, it has been necessary to tap each nut blank twice There was formerly no great demand by the bent shank method in order to remove, as far as possible, the inaccuracies remaining after a single pass of the nut over the tap, and there has been no method of producing on a commercial scale nuts having the class 4 ac- 5 curacy which is now demanded in many lines of mechanical construction.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved tapping machine by which nut blanks are tapped according to a new 10 method employing a rigidly mounted tapping tool and requiring the relative reversal of the directions of movement of the nut and the tap after each tapping operation. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved nut tapping 15 machine in which nut blanks may be tapped with greater speed than has heretofore been possible notwithstanding the fact that the tapping tool is reversed with respect to the nut and removed therefrom at the end of each'tapping operation. 20 Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved nut tapping machine comprising means for reversing the direction of rotation of the tap when the threads have been completely formed in the blank. A further object of the in- 25 vention isto provide means for moving the nut blank in a predetermined manner during the operation of tapping in combination with means for automatically advancing the tap through the nut and then reversing the direction of rotation 30 of the tap and the direction of movement of the nut when the tapping operation is.co1 npleted. Another important feature of the invention is the provision of novel means for feeding the nut blanks to the position where they are tapped. A 35 highly important object of the invention is to provide an improved tapping machine in which breakage of or injury to the tapping tool or any other part of the mechanism is prevented even though the machine continues to operate after the nut blanks have become jammed in their passage to the tapping position and even though a blank may not be properly lined upto be tapped, difficulties which have heretofore given rise to the inevitable breakage of the tap. A still fur'- 45 ther object of the invention is to provide an improved tapping machine which may be readily adapted to the'purpose of tapping nut blanks of widely varying sizes. A further object of the in- -vention is to provide a tapping machine having a novelform of chuck for holding the nutduring the tapping operation in combinationwith means for moving this chuck along the axis of the tap during the operation of tapping. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of tapping nuts. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement ofmachine embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2shows an enlargedsection taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 shows a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged axial section taken through the driving head by which motion is transmitted from the driving head to ,the tap and by which the direction of rotation of the tap is automatically reversed at predetermined points in y the operation of tapping;

Fig. 5 shows-a transverse section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. ft;

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged section taken on thes line 5 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged end elevation of the yupper end portion of the machine, illustrating the nut blank supply hopper and the means for feeding nut blanks therefrom;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 shows an enlarged detail section taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 shows a section taken on the line lil-l0 of Fig. 7; v

Fig. 11 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line I I l l of Fig. 2, illustrating the means for `driving the cam shaft and actuating the nut blank supply hopper:

Fig. 12 shows anfenlarged side elevation of the guide for feeding the nut blanks and of the chuck by which' they are held during the tapping operation together With the cam by which the chuck is advanced longitudinally of the axis of the tap during the tapping operations, portions of the vguide and other parts being broken away, the relative positions of the parts being such as they occupy immediately after'a nut blank is dropped into position within the chuck but before the nut -blank is clamped in the chuck;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the clamping plate by which the nut blank is held in the chuck during the nut tapping operation;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to that of Fig. 12, showing the relative positions of the parts at avlater period of the operation when the clamping plate is moved into position to hold the nut blank in the chuck and showing the cam about to cause the chuck and the nut blank to be moved toward the tap;

Fig. 15 is a view similar to the lower portionsof Figs. 12 and 14 showing the relative positions of the parts after a relative movement of the chuck and -the tap has taken place to the point where the threads have been completely formed in the nut bythe tap;

Fig. 16 shows an enlarged section taken on the line lli-i6 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 17 is a vertical section taken on the line l'l-Il of Fig. 3, illustrating an end elevation of the chuck and the nut feeding guide;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line I8-l8 of Fig. 17;

Fig. 19 shows an enlargeddetail section taken on the line I9-IS of Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 shows a transverse section taken on the line 20-20 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 21 is an enlarged front elevation of th lower part of the nut guide and of the nut chuck with the clamping plate and other parts removed, showing the means for turning the nut blanks as they pass into the chuck.

As illustrated in. the drawings, the invention comprises a hollow pedestal or base 25 having an outwardly extending lower flange 25EL which is adapted to rest upon and be secured to a floor or other support. The pedestal is provided with a front door 26 mounted on hinges 2l and having Ventilating openings 26a therein. lAn end door 28 is also provided at one end of the casing and at.the other end there is a motor starter and controller 2Q which is connected in the electric cir-` cuit of an electric motor 35 in the casing for driving the various parts of the mechanism. 'Ihe shaft 30 of this motor is provided with a pulley 3l connected by a belt 32 with another pulley 35 mounted on the shaft of a pump which is adapted to effect the circulation of a cooling uid, such as oil or the like, which is stored in the reservoir formed by thelower part of the interior chamber of the base. 'I'his solution is elevated by the pump through an inlet pipe 35Jand is discharged through an outlet pipe 36 having a branch 3l which leads to the nozzle 38 by which the uid is discharged upon the tap at the point where it engages the nut blank during the operation of tapping. The solution thus discharged drips down into a pan 39 and `returns from the pan through a drain pipe 4D to ther-storage chamber in the lower part of the base. 'Ihe pan 39 'is secured to the pedestal 25 by means of studs 42 which engage bosses 25b formed at the upper end of the base and which have washers da mounted beneath their headsv to form fluid-tight joints in the bottom wall of the pan.

This lower wall of the pan 39 is provided with upwardly extending bosses 59a through which pass studs 44 by which the housing 65 is secured in place above the pan. The bosses 39? are located substantially midway between the sides of the pan, thus locating the housing 45 in an intermediate position. The housing comprises a vertically extending supporting plate 45a of substantially triangular form having united integrally therewith the longitudinal hollow body portion 65h which extends at an angle of substantially thirty degrees to the horizontal and which supports the principal parts of the mechanism by l which the tapping of the nuts is effected. This body portion of the housing is provided at its upper end with an end wall 45 provided with an opening in which the main driving shaft 45 is journaled through an intermediate ball bearing unit di, as shown particularly in Fig. 2. The

lower portionof this main driving'shaft 46 is re` duced in diameter as shown at t6a in Fig. 1l, and a shoulder at the upper end of this reduced por- ,tion engages a ball bearing unit 4,8 carried by a tending upwardly from the lower part of the frame and this unit is held in place by a nut or gland 53 which threadedly engagesthe upper end of the recess, as shown in Fig. 11. A worm and a-s'pacing .sleeve 55aare secured on the reduced portion 46a of the driving shaft below the bearing 48 andthe lower part of this sleeve is A the shaft 80'of the driving motor.

journaled in an opening formedin the end plate of the frame 58 bymeans of a ball bearing unit 56.

pulley 51 is provided with two grooves 51a and 51", of diii'erent diameters. one of which is engaged by adriving belt 59 which extends downwardly throughan opening in the end wall of the pedestal or base 25 and then around another double grooved pulley 60 which is secured upon This pulley 68 has'two grooves 60a and 601 of different diameters so that the belt 59 may be shifted from one set of grooves in the two pulleys to the other set of grooves therein for the purpose of varying the speed with which the main driving shaft 46 is driven. Of course, these pulleys 51 and 68 may be interchanged 'with other pulleys of different sizes for obtaining still other` variations in speed l and, with any arangement voi? pulleys, a considarable range of speed may be obtained by varying the speed of the driving motor 30. The end door 28 has an inclined extension 28B which extends upwardly and forms a cover plate for the upper part of the belt 59 and the pulley 51, as shown in' operation of tapping. This tap driving mechanism is actuated from the upper end of the shaft 46 through a pulley 62 which is splined on the end of the shaft and detachably held against longitudinal movement by a nut 63, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The pulley 62 is provided with a pair of grooves of equal diameter which are engaged by the belts 64 which also engage the grooves in a pulley 65 splined on the end of a hollow tap driving spindle 66 on which it is held against endwise movement by a nut 61. The spindle 66 is journaled in a pair of ball bearing units 68 which are secured within a hub 45d formed as a part' of the housing 45. The inner Vbearing unit seats against an annular shoulder 45e formed at the end of this hub and the two bearing units arespaced apart by a sleeve 69. A retaining ring 10 engages the outer end of the outer bearing unit 68- and is detachably held-in place by screws 1|. 'I'he operator is protected from accidental contact with the belt 64 and moving pulleys by a pulley cover`12 which is detachably secured to the end wall 45 of the housing.

The spindle 66 has a bore of square or other .non-circular cross-section with which the shaft 13, a similar cross-section, has a sliding driving fit. This shaft actuates the power transmitting mechanism of the tap head 15 by which the tap is rotated in either direction. The tap head 15 is carried by a holder 16, as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 20, and this holder comprises a block 16* arranged to support a circular strap comprising the semicircular section 16h, formed integrally with the block 16e, and a separable semi-` engaging the bosses 18d which project from the ends of the strap sections. 'Ihis circular strap J blocks 19 having plates 80 seated thereon to overn lap the flanges 16e of the holder block.

The blocks 19 and the plates 80 are secured to the wall of the housing by means of cap screws 8l. At the end removed from the-shaft 13, the block 16` of the holder is provided with a cylindrical recess 16" which is slidably engaged by a `pin 83 having its other end threaded and fixed in the adjacent transverse shoulder of the housing. A 'heavy coil spring 84 is mounted on this pin between the shoulder and the end of the holder to serve as a slightly yielding stop for the holder when it is returned to its extreme righthand position, as illustrated in Figs. l and 2. 4The holder 16 is normally forced against the stop spring 84 by means of a coil spring 85 and a pin 86 which are mounted in another cylindrical recess 16g formed in the block 16a of the holder at the end thereof opposite the pin 83, as shown in Fig. 2. The pin 86 slidably engages this recess and is threaded at its outer end for engagement by an adjustable head 861L which is adapted to coact with the adjacent transverse shoulder 45t of the housing. A collar 86b is mounted on the pin to limit its inward movement when the spring is compressed under the influence of the forces transmitted to the tap head 15, as hereinafter described.

The Amechanism of the tap head 15 serves to rotate the tap spindle 88 which projects from the casing 18 in axial alignment with the shaft 13 and which carries a chuck 89 in which the tap 98 is detachably secured. This tap may be of the usual form employed in the tapping of nuts except that it has a relatively short shank 90 and is therefore mounted in close proximity to the chuck 89 byiwhich it is held. The chuck 89 may be of any usual form, comprising an outer rotatable 4nut which may be tightened to compress the parts of the chuck between which the shank of the tap is clamped. The mechanism of the tap contained Within the housing 18 of the tap head 15 may be of any suitable form adapted for rotating the tap 98 in a direction to form threads in the nut blank when this blank ed to rotate the tap spindle 88 in the proper directions at predetermined times in the operation of the machine. As there shown, the shaft 13 is provided with a cylindrical portion 13 which is journaled in a ball bearing unit mounted in the detachable head portion 18a of the tap head casing. This part'18 is secured to the body portion of the casing by cap screws 96. An oilingdevice .91 may be mounted in the lower part of the casing. The portion 18a of the casing is provided with a tubular bore'in which the ball bearing unit 95 is 'The inner end portion 'i3c of the shaft 13 is of lesser diameter than the part 13 and is externally threaded at its inner end for engagement with the internally threaded hub portion 98a of the outer driving shell 88 which rotates within the body portion of the tap head casing. The hub portion 88B `of this shell revolves within al ball bearing unit 98 which fits within a portion of the bore of the casing head 18a and which is held in place against the end shoulder of the shell by means of a spacing sleeve |00 mounted on the part 73 of the shaft. `This inner end of the shaft 73 is provided with an internal bore in which a hard metal bearing sleeve |0| is mounted to receive the reduced extremity 88a of the tap spindle which is mounted to revolve within the casing TF8, as hereinafter described.

The driving shell 90 is provided adjacent the.

hub portion thereof with an annular tapered lfrictional driving surface 98h which is adapted to coact with one annular tapered driving surface |02b of a rfriction clutch member |02 which-is fixed on the inner end of the spindle 88 by means of a transverse pin |03. 'Ihis pin |03 is held in place by two screws |00. In addition to the surface |02b which is adapted to coact with the surface 498b of the driving shellv when the spindle 88 is rotated in a direction adapted to effect the tapping of a nut blank, the clutch member |02 has an additional annular tapered driving surface |02c which is inclined in the opposite direction to the surface 02b and which is adapted to coact with the internal annular tapered surface of the reverse driving shell |05 when it is desiredto effect the reverse rotation of the spindle 88 for the purpose of withdrawing the tap from the threaded-nut.

The extreme outer end of the driving shell 98 is internally threaded for engagement by an internal ring gear |01 which rotates with the shell and which has its teeth arranged to mesh with a series of idler pinions |08 which are mounted to revolve on studs`|00 mounted in the `stationary idler pinion block H0. This pinion block has a portion I0a of reduced diameter which ts Within the bore formed at the lowermost tapered end. of the casing l0 and the outer end of this reduced portion is externally threaded for engagement by a nut which holds theblock against endwise movement. The block is held against rotation by a pin ||2 which engages the annular ilange ||0b of'the block and enters a hole '18d formed in the end portion of the casing. The pinions |08 are arranged to mesh with the reverse gear I5 which has an'elongated hub ||5a provided With a bore in which the spindle 88 rotates, and mounted for rotation about the spindle in a pair of ball bearing'units ||6 which are mounted within the bore of the pinion block I0. The innermost ball bearing seats against a shoulder of the pinion block and is held in place by the retaining plate which is secured to the block and the outer ball bearing unit ||6 is spaced from the inner one by vthe annular spacer I I8 provided with an annu- .threaded end of the hub ||5a of the reverse gear is engaged by a ring nut l| I9 which holds the outer ball bearing unit against the spacer l i8. The reverse gear 5 is secured to .the radial disk |05a of the reverse driving shell |05 by a series of pins |20 so that the reverse gear and the reverse shell rotate together. When the parts are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 4, with the clutch mem,l ber |02 disengaged from the driving surface 98b of the outer driving shell, and with the reverse driving shell |05 engaging the annular driving surface |02c of the clutch member, the rotation of the driving shell 98 operates throughthe pinions |08 and the'reverse gear H5 to effect the rotation of the inner driving shell- |05 in a direction opposite to the directionof rotation of the outer driving shell 98, and this reverse rotation is impartedl to the clutch member |02 through the coacting friction surface of the clutch member and the inner driving shell, yso thatthe spindle 88 is then rotated in a reverse direction, adapted to Withdrawthe tap from the threaded nut. When the spindle 88 isl thrust endwise toward the left, as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the clutch member |02 is disengaged from the reverse drivmg shell |05 and is mov'ed into engagement with the .surface 08lo of the outer driving shell so that a direct drive is then established between the outer driving shell and the spindle 88 through the clutch member |02, thusA causing the spindle B0 to rotate in a direction adapted to eilect the tappuri-Ig of the nut blank by the tap 90. aving described the means for ro tap 00 in either direction, the means fitlfxediz; the nut blanks to the place where they are engaged by the rotating tap will now be referred to 'I'hese nut blanks |25, which are of the same form as the completed nut except that they are not internally threaded, are .contained in a hopL per |20 carried by a bracket |21 which is secured to the upper side of the housing 45 by means of cap screws |28, as shown particularly in Figs. 1, 7 and 1l. The upper portion of the hopper |26 is formed in two half sections which are secured together by bolts |29 and'nuts |30. A spacer I 3| 1s mounted between the lower depending flanges of these hopper parts, as shown in Fig. 8, thus forming a channel |32 along which a series of nut blanks are adapted to be moved in an upward inclined direction by the action of a number ofv feeding arms |33 carried by a hub which revolves about a shaft |34 journaled in the wall of the hopper. A ratchet wheel |35 is secured on 'which is operated by a cam, as hereinafter dscribed. A coil spring |0| is connected to the bracket -|2'l and to the outer end of the 'arm |38 so that the arm is normally maintained in contact with the upper end of the plunger |40. With leachupward movement of the plunger |00, the

pawl -,|36 which leans against the teeth of the ratchet wheel under the influence of gravity is velevated so that the shaft |34 is gradually rotated and the outer ends of the feeding arms |33 are causedv to move through the feed channel y, |32. The nut blanks are thus moved upwardly along this channel, as shown in Fig. 7, until they occupy a position adjacent the upper curved extremity of this channel where they are held against reverse movement by a retaining member |42 which is pivoted at |43 above the uppermost part of the channel and which has a curved portion overlying the nuts which are in the upper part of the channel. In case the channel .and the guide into which the nut blanks are moved therefrom are completely occupied with nut blanks when the column of nuts is engaged by an end of one of the arms |33, the retaining Vmember |42 may swing upwardly to permit some of the nut blanks to be projected from the channel for the purpose of relieving the compression.

As the nut blanks are discharged from the channel |32 of the hopper, they fall by gravity through the passage |44f=l of a curved track member |44 which is secured to the upper portion of the hopper by means of cap screws |45. The passage of this track member |44 communicates with the channel of a vertical guide |46 which is supported by the track member |44, as shown particularly in Figs. 7, 12 and 17. The guide member |46 has a channel |46a therein through which the nut blanks |25 move and a pair of metal strips or plates |41 are secured to the opposite sides of the body portion of this guide member by screws |48 so that they overlap the channel and retain the nuts therein during their downward movement while leaving a slot |49 between the plates, as illustrated in Fig. 17. Before being allowed to drop through the channel |46a into the chuck in which the nut blanks are held during the tapping operation, a series of nut blanks are supported temporarily in the channel` a retaining pin |50 which is transversely in |46 by means of carried by a plate |5| extending front of the guide, as shown in Figs. 12 and 17,

and having its ends secured by screws |52 to arms |53 which extend forwardly on opposite sidesof the guide from a trip lever |55 by which they are carried. This trip lever is pivoted at |56 between ears |51 formed on the guide and it extends downwardly therefrom, being provided with an aperture |55a at a point opposite the pin |50, for engagement by a Iscrew |58 which is mounted in a threaded recess in the wall of the guide |46 and which has a coil spring |59 mounted between its head and the rear side of the trip lever so that it normally tends to force the trip lever from theposition shown in Fig. 12-to the position shown in Fig. 15.

The trip lever |55 carries a relatively fixed pin |60 which enters an aperture |46b in the rear wall of the guide |46 and which is adapted to enter the guideway |46a to support the column of nuts when the trip lever is in the position shown in Fig. l5. The lower portion of the trip lever is guided by a pair of lugs |46c which project rearwardly from the guide member |46 on opposite sides of the lever. The guide member, which is secured at its upper end to the trackmember |44, is supported at its lower end by means of a lug |46d which is formed thereon and connected by a stud |62 with the adjacent part of the hopper bracket |21. The feed member |46 is thus detachably mounted and is thus adapted to discharge nuts intermittently into the channel |63EL e of the nut holding chuck |63 which is mounted .beneath the lower end of th feed member and adapted to reciprocate along the axis of rotation of the tap 90. -The lower end of the trip lever |55 is threadedly engaged by a stop member |64 having a knurled head |64a by which it may be adjusted so that its point will engage the vertical surface |63b of the chuck at the proper instant in the travel of the chuck. When the trip lever is moved to'its forward position, as shown ig Fig. 15, the column of nuts is supported by the pin |60 and the pin |50 is withdrawn from its engagement with the nuts. When the chuck |63 moves downwardly along its guide, as hereinafter more fully explained, the surface |63b thereof engages the actuating pin |64 and moves the trip lever |55 to the position shown in Fig. 12, thereby causing the lowermost nut blank in the guideway |46t0 be released while the nut next above is engaged and held by the pin |50 as the trip lever moves rearwardly under the inuence of the spring |59. The column of nuts is then supported by the pin |50 while the nut which previously rested upon\the pin |60 falls by gravity into the channel |63*EL of the chuck.

As shown 'particularly in Figs. 17, 18 and 19, the nut chuck |63 is carried by a supporting bar |65 which is slidably mounted in an undercut groove 451 formed in a vertically extending portion of the housing 45. The axis of this guideway 45l extends parallel to the axis of rotation of the tap 90. The sliding bar |65 is provided with two parallel recesses |65 and these recesses are open along the inner side of the bar through slots |65", thus permitting a pair of stop screws |66 to be threaded into the housing with their heads occupying the recesses |65u and their stems engaging the slots |651. A coil spring |61 is mounted in each recess between the heads of the screws |66 and the opposite end of the recess. These springs normally tend to force the sliding bar |65 and the supported nut chuck |63 in a downward direction along the inclined guideway, thereby maintaining a pin |68, secured in the lower end face of the bar, in contact with the peripheral surface of the cam |10 by which the nut chuck is actuated, as hereinafter described, for advancing the nut toward the tap head during the operation of tapping and for withdrawing the nut from the tap when the tapping operation has been completed.

The nut chuck |63 comprises a metal block having formed therein the previously described channel |63. The upper portion of the guide channel |638 in the nut chuck is partially closed by a retaining plate |1| which is secured to the block of the chuck by screws |12, as shown particularly in Fig. 17. This retaining platehas a tongue |1| which extends upwardly in front of the lower end of the guide channel |46a in the stationary guide |46, and it has a triangular slot |1|b formed in the lower part thereof to permit access to the nut blanks |25, if desired, before they reach the tapping position behind the locking plate |13 which is mounted on the lower part of the chuck and which has the form shown particularly in Figs. 12, 13 and 17. The locking plate comprises a downwardly extending flange |139 which overlies the lower portion of the channel |63, and it has a pair of laterally extending arms which have guide pins |14 xed therein. These guide pins are adapted to slide in apertures |63c which are formed in the nut chuck, as shown in Fig. 6. Each guide pin |14 has a collar |15 fixed thereon and a coil spring |16 is mounted between this collar and the inner end of a tubular recess through which the pin moves.l These springs thus tend to move the pins |14 in a downward direction, or toward the right as viewed in Figs. 6 and 12, thus tending to move the locking plate |13 into engagement with the nut blank to be tapped. The nut blank which is thus clamped in position is held by the central part of the locking plate which is provided on its innerside with an auxilary block |13, shown particularly in Fig. 13.

nuts. The nut chuck is provided with a aring aperture |653d in alignment with the aperture |13 for engagement by the extremity of the tapat the completion of the tapping operation. Immediately beneath the nut chuck |63, there-is mounted a nut stop bracket |11, shown in Figs. 12, 14, 15 and 17, which is secured to the side of the housing and which projects beneath the chuck in such a manner that it engages a tapped nut |25b and supports it in the channel |633 of the chuck, thereby employing this rtapped nut as a spacer to position properly the untapped nut blank 253 which is positioned in axial alignment with the tap 9i) during the operation of tapping. As the tapping of a new blank is completed and the nut chuck apvproaches the upper limit of its travel alongits inclined guideway, a point is reached where the previously tapped spacing nut is discharged over the edge of the stop bracket |11, as shown in g. 15. This tapped nut then moves by gravity down the slide |18 which is mounted in an inclined-position above the pan 39 and whichis preferably made up of a number of spaced bars |19 which provide an opening between them for the escape of oil or other cooling fluid, discharged onto the nuts during the operation of tapping. After the blank |253 yhas been tapped and the nut chuck 63 moves away from the tapunder the inuence of the springs |61,a point is reached where the pins |14 engage a stop plate |810 attached to the side of the housing by screws |8|. This engagement causes the pins to move the lock# ing plate |13 away from the chuck |63 as the nut which has just ,been tapped and allowing it to fall to a position on the stop bracket' |11 which again occupies a position beneath the chuck when the release of the'tapped nut occurs.

In order to insure an uninterrupted feeding of the nut blanks to the chuck |63, the channel |463 l in the guide |46 is preferably made somewhat larger than the greatest diameter of any nut 'to be passed therethrough so that the nuts will naturally assume superimposed positions in this channel with opposite fiat faces extending horizontally, as shown in Figs. land 21. If nuts having the usual hexagonal form are being fed through this guide, it is preferable to have them arranged in this manner with horizontal faces on each nut contacting with similar faces on adjacent nuts rather than to feed the nuts through a close fitting guide having two opposite faces of each nut extending vertically, since with the latter arrangement the nuts have vertically extending points engaging each other with a resulting tendency for the nuts to' wedge in the guideway and interrupt the feed. Of course, when nuts of rec-` tangular form are being tapped, each nut has parallel faces extending vertically and another pair extending horizontally and there is no tendency for this wedging action to take place. Assuming that nuts of the hexagonal form are to be tapped and that they are fed according to the preferred form, that is, with two opposite faces of each nut blank extending horizontally as it passes through the channel |463 of the feed member |46, an arrangement is preferably made for turning the nut blanks around their own axesas they enter the channel |633 of the chuck 63 so that each nut blank then has two opposite faces extending vertically and tting between the sid'e walls of the channel.

The fit of each nut blank inA the"channel |633 is made reasonably tight, without interfering with the free movement of the nut blank, in order that the blank will be closely held during the operation of tapping. This turning of the nut blanks around their own axes as `theyenter the chuck |63 is shown particularly in Fig. 21, where the channel |633 in the chuck is shown as being narrower than 'the channel or guide |463 inthe feed member |46. At one side of the channel |633, its

wall terminates at its upper end in a shoulder |633 which projects inwardly beyond the 'adjacent vertically extending side wall of the channel 463. At the other sidel of the channel |633, the

. side wall of the channel is beveled as shown at of the nut passes freely past the beveled surface |631. This momentary retardation of one side of the nut blank as it engages the chuckl causes it to rotate through ninety degrees sothat it then drops into the channel |633 with two of its opposite faces extending vertically and fitting between the side walls of the channel. If desired, the shoulder |63e may be formed upon a hard metal insert |82.

As the parts are illustrated in Fig. 12, the pin |68 on the end of the slide bar |65which carries the nut chuck, is in engagement with theportion |103 of the cam surface, which has a small radius and which thus permits the nut chuck to occupy its extreme lower position under the influence of the springs |61, shown in Fig.` 18. At

this time, the upper end of the channel |633 of the chuck is in registry with the channel |463 of the feed member and it is during this time that a new nut blank vdrops from the channel |463 into the chuck,4 the locking plate |13 then being displaced from its nut blank gripping position due to the engagement of the pin |14 with the stop plate |80, as shown in Fig. l2. The nut |25b which has just been tapped drops to engagement with the stop bracket |11 at this time and the new untapped nut blank |253 moves into position in alignment with the tap 90. In order to insure the uninterrupted operation of the apparatus and to avoid feeding a new nut blank through too great a distance, the machine is preferably so adjusted at the beginning `of its operaticn that one nut blank |25 will always be in the channel |633 above the untapped nut blank |25 which is located opposite the tap, so that after one nut blank is tapped and drops downwardly, the next untapped nut blank need drop -only the width of one nut in order to 'come into the tapping position. At the vtime that this feeding of the nut blank occurs, the trip lever |55 is held in its retracted position by the engagement of the `surface |63b of the chuck with the pin |64 on the lower end of the lever and the pin |50 has moved into engagement with the aperture of the lower-l without exerting any pressure upon the nut.

blanks which occupy the channel of the chuck.

As the cam |10 continues its rotation in the direction indicated bythe arrow |84, the pin |68 begins to ride up on lthe shoulder |10b at one end of the portion |10 of the cam surface. This moves the chuck |63 sufciently to cause the ends of the pins |14 to be free of engagement with the stop plate |80 so that the springs |16 mounted in the cbuck are permitted to effect the movement of the locking plate |13 downwardly and toward the right until it engages and holds the nut blank which is positioned in alignment with the tap 90, as shown in Fig. 14. After the pin |68 has passed over the shoulder |10, it rides over thc portion |10c of the cam surface, which has a gradually increasing radius and which is of suiiicient length to move the chuck a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the nut blank so that during this movement, the rotating tap 90 passes through the aperture of the nut and completely forms the desired threads therein. During this operation of tapping the nut, the tap spindle 88 is directly driven from the shaft 13 through the outer driving shell 98 and the friction clutch member |02, since the initial endwise pressure of the nut blank on the end'of the tap will force the tap spindle 88 longitudinally of its axis until the surface |02b of the clutch member engages the surface 98b of the outer driving shell. When the tapping of the nut blank is completed, the relative positions of the tap, chuck and feed member are as illustrated in Fig. 15, where the tap 90 is shown projecting slightly through the tapped nut and the previously tapped nut |25b has dropped onto the inclined nut table |18, along which it slides by gravity down into the pan 39. At this time, the chuck |63 has moved out of engagement with the pin |64 at the lower end of the trip .lever so that the springs |59 have operated to move the trip lever to the position shown in Fig. 15, wherein the pin |60 underlies and supports the column of nuts.

At the conclusion of the operation of tapping, with the parts in the relative positions shown in Fig. 15, the pin |68 will be at the end of the portion |10c of the surface of the cam |10. The reverse movement of the chuck |63 then begins as the cam'continues its rotation and the pin |68 rides over the portion |10d of the cam surface. During this reverse movement, the chuck |63 is moved by the springs |61 and as soon as this reverse movement begins, the endwise pull upon the tap 90 serves to cause a sufficient longitudinal movement of the tap spindle 88 to disengage the clutch member |02 from the surface 98b of the outer driving shell and to bring the surface |02` of the clutch member into engagement with the reverse driving shell |05. The direction of rotation of the tap 90 is thus automatically reversed so that as the reverse movement of the chuck |63 takes place, the tap 90 turns in a direction adapted to Withdraw it from the tapped nut. When the tap has been completely withdrawn from the nut, the pin |68 will have reached the end of its engagement with the portion |10d of the surface of the cam |10 and it then moves rapidly over the shoulder |10e of the 3 cam surface into engagement with the portion |10a of small radius. As the pin |68 passes over the shoulder |106, the surface |63b of the chuck engages the pin |64 and moves the trip lever |55 lto the position shown in Fig. 12, thereby releasing the lowermost nut in the column, which has previously been held by the pin |60, and at the same time moving the pin |50 into engagement with the next higher nut so that the column of nuts is then supported by the pin |50.

The cam |10 which actuates the nut holding chuck |63 is driven by suitable mechanism carried by the frame 50 and operated by the main driving shaft 46, as shown particularly in Figs. 2, 6 and 11. Since it is desirable to change the cam |10 for each size of nut to be tapped, in order to obtain the highest degree of efficiency and accuracy during the tapping operation, this cam is detachably mounted upon the end of a cam shaft having a reduced extremity |90a engaging the axial hole in the cam and having a threaded portion to receive the nut |9| by which the cam is held in place. The shaft |90 has an enlarged portion |90b against which the inner face of the cam seats and the cam is accurately positioned and held against rotation with respect to the shaft by means of a pin |92 which passes through the cam into a recess formed in this enlarged portion |90b of the shaft. Adjacent the portion |901), the shaft |90 has a bearing portion |90c which is journaled in a bushing |93 mounted in a bearing hub formed in one of the side arms of the frame 50. A collar |94 is secured on the shaft |90 at the inner end of the bearing portion |90c so that the shaft is held against endwise movement. portion of the cam shaft |90 is journaled in a bushing |95 which is secured within the bore of a hollow clutch drive shaft |96. This clutch drive shaft is in turn journaled in a bushing |91 secured in a bearing hub formed in the other arm of the frame 50. The clutch drive shaft V|96 is actuated as hereinafter described and it is provided at its inner end with clutch teeth |96 which are adapted to mesh with clutch teeth |98EL formed upon a clutch member |98 splined upon the shaft |90. The inner end of the clutch driv- .ing shaft |96 and the adjacent part of the clutch member |98 are provided with internal annular recesses in which is mounted a coil spring |99 adapted to disengage the clutch teeth-|96 and |98a. an annular groove |98b which is enga'gediby the The clutch member' |98 is provided with4 shifter pins 200 mounted on the opposite arms of 'J a shifter fork 202 secured on the shaft l203 which,

is journaled in a bearing formed inthe end plate 502L of the frame 50, as shown in Fig. 11. On. `the outer end of this shaft, there is secured a clutch shifting lever 205 which is shown .particularly in Fig. '1. This lever is adapted to -be moved angularly for the purpose of moving the clutch member |98 into engagement with the lclutch teeth on the end of the clutch driving shaft and it is adapted to be secured in a position corresponding to the engagement of the clutch teeth by a spring clip 206 attached to the end of the housing 45, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9, and having a depression 206ab which engages and holds the lever 205 when it is in the clutch engaging position. When the lever is released from this depression, the clutch member is disengaged from the clutch driving shaft by the action of the spring |99.

The clutch driving shaft |96 is driven from a. worm shaft 201 by means of a pair of change gears4208 and 209 which are detachably lmounted upon the shafts 96 and 201, respectively. The gear 208 is splined upon the reduced extremity |96b of the clutch driving shaft and is held thereon by a nut 2|0. The other change gear 209 is splined upon the reduced extremity 201b of the worm shaft and is held thereon by a nut 2| It is necessary to change these gears 208 and 209 in order'to obtain the proper speed and time relation of the cam |10 with each size of nut being tapped and the housing 45 is therefore provided with a removable cover plate 2|2 to permit convenient access to these gears. The worm shaft 201 is journaled in bushings 2|3 which are mounted yin bearing hubs formed in the opposite arms 'of the frame 50, as shown particularly in Fig. `6. The worm shaft 201 has a worm wheel 2| 4 secured upon the intermediate portion thereof and this worm wheel is driven by the previously described Worm 55 secured upon the main driving shaft 46. At one side of the worm wheel 2| 4, there is mounted the star-shaped cam 2I5 which serves to oscillate the arm |38 of the nut-feeding mechanism through the plunger |40 previously described.

It will be apparent that by changing the gears 208 and 209, or by changing the pulleys Sland 60, or by changing the speed of the driving motor 30, or by combining vany or all of these changes, the camy |70 may be caused to rotate with the proper speed for tapping any desiredv size or form of nut. In'conjunction with these possible changes in the driving mechanism for altering the speed of rotation of the cam, the operator may interchange the cam |10 with another cam particularly adapted for producing the proper time relation of the different movements of the nut holding chuck during the operation of tapping and releasing the nut from the chuck. The chuck |63, the feed guide |46 and other parts of the nut feeding mechanism are removable and interchangeable so that the machine may be readily adapted to use with nut blanks of different sizes. The construction and arrangement of the nut blank feeding mechanismv is such that nut blanks of various forms, including grooved or castellated nut blanks, may be fed therethrough in indiscriminate fashion without giving attention to the direction in which the castellations of the blanks are faced and without interfering with the accuracy with which the blanks are tapped when they are positioned in the nut holding chuck. As the nut blanks are fed successively to the chuck |63 in the manner previously described, they are accurately positioned and held with suiicient firmness to permit them to be accurately tapped by the rotating tap 90 which isv also rmly supported so that it has a definite path of travel along its own axis. As the nut chuck |63 moves upwardly along its guide under the influence of the cam |10, the tap head l5 may yield with a corresponding compression of the spring 85, in the event that the material f the nut blank is of unusual hardness, for example, so that the tap 90 does not pass readily therethrough. If a nut blank |25 is not properly aligned in the nut chuck |63 with its aperture in proper position with respect to the axis of the tap, the end of the tap will merely engage the surfacel ofthe nut blank and the entire tap head l5 will move toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2,

thereby permitting the chuck |63 to conclude its cycle of movements under the influence of the cam |10 while'at' the same time preventing the breaking of the tap 90. When the nut chuck |63 is returned to its lower position after such a movement of the tap head l along its guideway, the tap head is returned to its normal position by the spring 85 and is arrested by the slightly resilient stop spring 84, thus automatically locating tlie extremity of the tap 90 in proper position to engage and thread a nut blank upon the next upward movement of the'nut holding chuck. This yielding drive of the tap spindle is a feature of great importance in preventing damage to the machine and,. particularly, in preventing the breakageof the taps. If the tap 90 is broken for any reason, the resiliently mounted locking plate |l3v automatically engages and holds Ya nut blank in the chuck with sufficient. pressure to retain a column of nuts in the chan` nels above so that even though the machine continues to operate with a broken tap, the feeding of a series of untapped blanks into the pan 39, where they would become mingled with the tapped nuts, is automatically prevented.

' During the operation of tapping a nut blank by the use of the present invention, the blank is held rigidly by parts which engage two opposite faces of the blank and also by parts which engage its end surfaces, and the tap is also rigidly held against movement laterally. These are important features contributing to the accuracy of the threads in the finished nuts. Although the holding of the opposite side faces of the nut blank may sometimes be suilicient fr the production of. nuts of the lower classes of accuracy, it isv found that the-additional holding of the ends of the blank is very important when nuts having the class 3 or class 4 degrees of accuracy are to be produced. Even when castellated nuts are being tapped, accurate threads are formed without breakage of taps whether the castellations are directed toward the tap or in the opposite direction, and the castellated blanks may be fed to the chuck indiscriminately without regard to the direction in which the castellations are faced. In addition to the improvement in accuracy, as compared With other methods of tapping, the present invention is adapted to effect the tapping of nuts with much greater speed than has heretofore been possible. With the use of prior machines and methods, the maximum surface speed of. the rotating 'tap has been only about thirty feet per minute but with the present invention surface speeds of one hundred and twenty to one hundred and forty feet per minute may be maintained without injury to the tap and without destroying the uniform accuracy of the tapped nuts.

As a result of the improved speed of operation, arising partly from the speed of rotation of the tap during the tapping .of the blanks and partly from the fact that the tap is rotated at a much higher speed while it is being withdrawn from the tapped nut, the output of a machine embodying the present invention is very much greater than that of any prior machine, such as a machine employing a bent shank tap. For example, while a machine of the latter A maximum output of eighteen hundred nuts per hour, a machine embodying the present invention can produce nuts of the same size and description and of greater accuracy at the rate of three thousand per hour. The gear ratio of the tap head is preferably such that the tap has a speed of reversal during its withdrawal from the tapped nut amounting to twice its speed of rotation during the tapping operation. For example, if. the tap has a speed of 1500 R. P.M. during its advance, it is reversed and withdrawn at a speed of 3000 R; P. M. The quick reversal of the tap at the conclusion of the operation of tapping a nut blank has the salutary effect of causing the metal chips to be .ejected from the flutes of the tap so that they do not interfere with the withdrawal of the tap from the nut.

type may have ay shank type is only fteen thousand nuts, it has been found thata straight shank tap employed in the machine of the present invention may have an output during its life of from one hundred twenty thousand to two hundred thousand' nuts. The fact that the tap comes to rest at the end of the tapping operation, and is momentarily stationary before beginning its reverse movement, is an important factor in contributing to the elimination of breakage and enables blind nuts to be tapped without danger of accident. Besides this saving in taps, there is a great saving in the cost oi tapping due to the fact that less labor is required because one workman may operate several machines of the present invention, and due to the reduced idle time of the machine caused by adjustments and changes of taps. Another great saving, as compared with prior practices,

arises from the fact that the use of, the machine greatly reduces or substantially eliminates inspection because nuts of va uniform high degree of accuracy may be produced with certainty, whereas according to prior methods it has been necessary to inspect and sort all the nuts produced, particularly when even a moderate degree of uniformity and accuracy was desired.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described in connection with one example of the improved method of tapping by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments coming within the scope of. the appended claims.

I claim:

l. 'I'he combination in a nut tapping machine, of a rotatable tap, a chuck slidably mounted for movement longitudinally of said tap and having an upwardly extending channel to receive nuts,

locking means carried by said chuck for holding a nut in said channel in alignment with said tap, means for moving'said chuck longitudinally of said tap and then withdrawing said chuck, means actuated in the retracted position of said chuck for releasing said nut from said locking means, and stationary means mounted adjacent said chuck for retaining said released nut in said channel until said chuck reaches a predetermined position by relative movement with respect to said stationary means.

2. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a rotatable tap, a chuck slidably mounted for movement longitudinally of said tap and having an upwardly extending channel to receive nuts, locking means carried by said chuck for holding a nut in said channel in alignment with said tap, means for moving said chuck longitudinally of said tap and then withdrawing said chuck, means actuated in the retracted position of said chuck for releasing said nut from said locking means, stationary means mounted adjacent saidchuck for retaining said released nut in said channel until said chuck reaches a predetermined posi 3. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a rotatably mounted tap, a nut holding chuck slidably mounted for movement longitudinally of said tap and having a nut receiving channel therein, a locking plate slidably mounted on said chuck for holding a nut in said channel in alignment with said tap, resilient means for holding said locking plate in nut-engaging position, means for advancing said chuck longitudinally of said tap and then retracting said chuck, means operated when said chuck is in its retracted position for actuating said locking plate to release said nut, and a stationary member mounted adjacent said chuck for engaging said released nut and causing it to position the next succeeding nut in alignment with said tap, said member being adapted to permit the discharge of said released nut from said channel when said chuck reaches a predetermined position by relative movement with respect to said stationary means.

4. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a rotatably mounted tap, a chuck having a channel adapted to receive a nut and hold it in alignment with said tap, means for moving said chuck longitudinally of said tap and then withdrawing said chuck, nut feeding means comprising a member having a nut guide therein, and nut tripping means actuated by said chuck for automatically discharging a nut from said guide each time that said chuck is retracted to a position beneath said guide.

5. lllhe combination in a nut tapping machine, of a rotatably mounted tap, a chuck having a channel adapted to receive a nut and hold it in alignment with said tap, means for moving said chuck longitudinallyv of said tap and then withdrawing said chuck, nut feeding means comprising a member having a nut rguide therein, a trip lever pivotally mounted adjacent said guide, a pair of pins carried by said lever, one of said pins being adapted to engage a nut in said guide when v said lever is in one extreme position and the other of said pins being adapted to engage a nut in said guide when said lever is in another extreme position, and means actuated by said nut chuck for moving said trip lever from one position to the other.

6. The combination in a `nut tapping machine, of a rotatably mounted tap, a nut holding chuck movable longitudinally of said tap, means for advancing said chuck and then retracting it, an upwardly extending guide member adapted to feed nuts to said chuck and having a nut conveying groove therein, a trip lever mounted on said guide member, said chuck being adapted to move said trip lever in one direction when it reaches a pre-i determined position, resilient means for moving said lever in the opposite direction, and a pair of pins carried by said trip lever and adapted to intersect said groove alternately in successive extreme positions of said trip lever.

7. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a tap, a tap spindle having said tap rigidly mounted therein, a tap driving shaft, a power transmitting and reversing unit connected between said shaft and said spindle, means for holding a nut and moving it into 'engagement with said tap, and means for permitting movement of said unit and said spindle when pressure is exerted on said tap by said nut.

8. The combination in a nut tapping machine,

of a tap spindle, a tap rigidly mounted on said spindle, a tap drive shaft, a power transmitting and reversing unit interposed between said shaft and said spindle, said spindle being adapted by relativelongitudinal movement with respect to said unit to effect the reversal ofthe direction of rotation of said spindle, means/for holding a nut in alignment with said tap, means for moving said nut holding means in the opposite'direction longitudinally of said tap, a support in which said power transmitting unit is slidably mounted, and resilient means tending to move said unit toward said nut holding means.

9. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a tap spindle, a tap rigidlymounted on said spindle, a tap drive shaft, a power transmitting and reversing unit interposed between said shaft and said spindle, said spindle being adapted by relative longitudinal movement with respect to said unit to effect the reversal of the direction of movement of said rotation, means for holding a nut in alignment with said tap, means for moving said nut holding means in. the opposite direction longitudinally of said tap, a support in which said power transmitting unit is slidably mounted, resilient-means tending to move said unit toward said nut holding means, and means for supportingsaid power-transmitting unit and said spindle with the axis of said spindle and said tap inclined downwardly toward said nut holding means.

`10. The combination in a nut tapping machine,

of \a tap spindle, a, tap carried rigidly by said spindle, a spindle driving shaft, a friction driving unit connected between said shaft and said spindie, means for mounting said unit for movement longitudinally of said shaft, means for moving a nut and holding it in engagement with said tap, and resilient means opposing the movement of said unitv by the force transmitted thereto from said nut. i

11. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a tap spindle, a tap carried rigidly by said spindle, a spindle driving shaft, a friction driving unit connected between said shaft and said spindle, means for mounting said unit for movement longitudinally of said shaft, means for moving a nut and holding it in engagement with said tap, resilient means opposing the movement of said unit by the force transmitted thereto from said nut, and a slightly resilient stop for locating said unit in its normal position.

12. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a spindle driving shaft mounted in an inclined position, a power transmitting and reversing slidably mounted for movement longitudinally of the axis of said shaft, a tap spindle mounted on and actuated by said unit with its axis in an inclined position, a. stop' for determining the lower position of said unit, and resilient means tending to move said unit toward said stop.

13. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a spindle driving shaft mounted in an inclined position, a -power transmitting and reversing unit slidably mounted for movement longitudinally `of the axis vof said shaft, a tap spindle mounted on and actuated by said unit with its axis in an inclined position, a stop for determining the lower position of said unit, resilient means tending to move said unit toward said stop, a. tap carried by said spindle, and a nut holding chuck movable longitudinally of said tap.

14. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a spindle driving shaft mounted in an inclined position, a power transmitting and reversing unit slidably mounted for movement longitudinally of the ams of said shaft, a tap spindle mounted on and actuated by said unit with its axis in an inclined position, a stop for determining the lower position of sald' unit, resilient means tending to move said unit toward said stop, a tapcarried by said spindleta nut holding chuck movablelongitudinally of said tap, a cam for moving said chuck toward said spindle, and resilient means tending to move said chuck awayfrom said spindle.

l5. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a rotatably\mounted tap, ajchuck having a channel adapted to receive a nut and hold it in alignment with said tap, said channel being of substantially the same width as the distance between opposite at sidesof said nut, nut feeding means having a guide adapted to convey hexagonal nuts positioned with flat sides of adjacent nuts contacting with each other, and means for transferring said nuts from said guide to said channel and turning saidl nuts whereby they are posivtioned in said channel with parallel fiat sides engaging opposite side walls ofthe channel.

16. The combination in a. nut tapping machine, of a rotatably mounted tap, a chuck having a channel adapted to receive a nut and hold it in alignment with said tap, said channel being of a width to be tted by opposite parallel yside faces of said nut feeding means comprising a vertically extending guide of suchwidth as to 'convey a series of hexagonal nuts each positioned with two of its apices 'engaging opposite side Walls of the guide, means for effecting the discharge of said nuts from said guide to the channel of saidchuck, and means'for turning e'ach of said nuts about its own axis as it enters said chuck whereby said nuts Vare positioned 'in the channel of said chuck with flat sides engaging the sides of said channel and with opposite apices engaging the apices of adjacent nuts,

17. The combination in a nut tapping` machine, cf a rotatably mounted tap, a chuck having a channel adapted to receive a nut and hold I it in alignment with said tap, said channel being of such width as to be tted b y opposite parallel side faces of said nut feeding means comprising a verticallyextending guide of such width as to convey a series of hexogonal nuts each positioned with two of its apices engaging opposite side walls of the guide, and means for effecting the discharge of said nuts from said guide to the channel of said chuck, said chuck having a shoul- 'der at the entrance of said channel adapted to engage a side face of each nut as it enters said channel to turn said nut about its own axis and position it in said channel with two at sides engaging the side walls of said channel.

18. The combination in a nut tapping machine, of a tap spindle, a tap rigidly mounted in said spindle, a tap drive shaft, a power transmitting and reversing unit occupying a normal stationary position and connected to drive said spindle from said shaft, said spindle being adapted by relative longitudinal movement with respect to said unit to. reverse the direction of rotation .of said spindle, means for rigidly holding a nut in alignment with said tap, means-for effecting a positive non-yielding movement of said holding means toward said tap. and means for permitting a limited cushioned movement of said unit under the inuence of -the pressure applied to said tap by said holding means.

HERMAN GOLDBERG.

CERTIFICATE or CTO.

Patent No., 2,067.26?. p January 12, 1957.

HERMAN GOLDBERG,

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 10, first column, line 50, claim 12, after the word "reversing" insert unit; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that thei same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofice.

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of March, A. D. 193'?.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seel) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

